


four and a half seconds

by Jerevinan



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Fainting, Fights, Gen, Past Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 15:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11164899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: Alvin had about four and a half seconds to act before the full force of Sonia Rolando hit him.





	four and a half seconds

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this over a year ago and meant to post it here and not just on tumblr. I edited it up a bit first, though. Hope it's still enjoyable as it was for a few people on tumblr. :D

Alvin had four and a half seconds, and he stood like a prey animal in shock for three of them. By the time his legs finally listened to his brain screaming, “Run!” it was too late. The staff whammed into his stomach. He dropped to the ground on his knees. Sonia buffeted both sides with several precise swings. 

Pain flared in his arms and ribs, and he collapsed on the street. The staff went up in the air, Sonia clutching it with both hands. No way would he do well if she brought it down like she meant to pierce him as she would with a sword. It wouldn’t be enough to break the skin, but no doubt it could rupture an organ or crush his bones. 

He rolled out of the way, barely missing the next hit.

There was no way he would pull a weapon on Sonia; at the same time his brain had registered the command to flee, it had also remembered a vague detail about shooting someone’s precious only daughter in an orchard.

Instinct to live was stronger than the masochistic desire for penance, however, and Alvin had to act fast to protect himself. He was vaguely aware of shouting—Leia’s, Jude’s maybe? He couldn’t be sure. There were noises in his head, a roaring in his ears as his adrenaline kicked in. Even the throbbing of the marks left on him dulled as he found the will to escape.

He learned a lesson that day: _never_ try to outrun Sonia Rolando.

Alvin took off in the direction of the dock. Maybe he would get lucky and catch a ship leaving port. One quick jump and Sonia would be a few paces too late.

She nailed him against the pavement at the end of the street. He caught the look in her eyes before she continued bludgeoning him—fear mixed with anger. He had almost killed her daughter. Worse still, he had fought with Jude while Leia bled out. 

He had been more scared for her back then than he was for himself now, because a part of him knew he deserved every whack of the staff. His skin ached beneath the blows, and he writhed to get away, but a part of him accepted that this was earned punishment. He had been given Leia’s forgiveness, and even Jude’s. It was only fair that Leia’s parents wouldn’t be as merciful, especially her mother.

But shit, he didn’t want to _die_.

Alvin slipped out from underneath the onslaught and raced for the docks. Each step was accompanied by unimaginable pain. He stumbled down the steps and hurried for the water’s edge. Sonia had anticipated his movements and launched herself with the staff. She landed well balanced in front of him. Just a few more feet, and he would have been safe enough to either jump in the water or make it to a ship.

Before he had time to make another move, she lifted her staff. He never felt it hit him, and in fact, it didn’t. He blacked out.

~*~

“Mom, please!” Leia jumped in front of Alvin as he went down. Her hands were outstretched, her legs dancing from side to side to protect him. “I’ve already forgiven him!” 

Sonia froze so as not to hit her daughter with the next blow. Leia’s genuine distress had her worried and surprised at the same time. Her expression lightened for only a moment before she scowled. 

“But you told me what he did to you,” she said. “How can you forgive him?”

Leia dropped her hands to her sides, shoulders sagging. “It wasn’t overnight, Mom. I was furious with him for a long time, and I only feel a little sorry for him right now, but…”

“You still feel sorry,” finished Sonia, nodding. She lowered her staff, the end of it tapping loudly against the cobblestones. “I’d still like to finish him off.”

“Mom, please don’t do that!”

“Leia!” Jude shouted, running across the port to her side.

Jude knelt beside Alvin. As he raised his hands to cast a healing spell, Sonia said, “Don’t.”

Jude looked up, eyes wide. 

“I didn’t hit anything vital. A little old-fashioned recovery will prolong his suffering.”

“He’s unconscious,” said Jude.

“I’m aware. It’s just shock. He’s lucky he didn’t jump in the water before he passed out.”

Jude stood, looking helplessly around. There were other onlookers, but they were too fearful to step in and say anything. Mostly all they did was stare. 

“I’ll go get a wheelchair…” he said, rubbing his arm nervously before he took off.

Leia studied Alvin’s face.

“I suppose I do feel a little better,” she said, stooping down to brush aside a strand of Alvin’s hair out of his eyes. “It’s nice to know you’ll beat up a guy when he hurts me.”

“Well, there’ll be some battles you’ll have to fight on your own,” said Sonia. “But it’s different when someone who’s supposed to be your friend shoots you! When you’re waving a gun around and shooting toward people, you shouldn’t be surprised when it finally hits someone! I don’t care how much he didn’t want to hurt you, he’s still an idiot.”

Leia laughed. “Yeah, that much is true. Thanks, Mom.”

Sonia nodded and wrapped one arm around her daughter, pulling her in for a brief hug. It was more of a squeeze, but they both needed it. Leia was fine—no thanks to the moron lying on the ground at their feet.

~*~

“I don’t want him in my clinic.” 

Derrick said it, but Jude still set up a bed for Alvin. With Leia and Ellen’s help, they lifted him out of the wheelchair and onto the mattress. 

“He infuriates me,” said Derrick, but despite his words, he went to work immediately looking over his new patient.

“Mom says he’s got to suffer a little,” said Leia. “She didn’t break any bones—she promised me she didn’t hit him that hard. She wanted to, though.” Her accompanying laugh was from relief rather than mirth.

“I’m surprised she didn’t crack one of his ribs,” said Jude, who had seen most of the beating. 

“I’m sure he’ll regain consciousness soon. I’ll have Ellen give him a little pain medication.” Derrick left the room without looking at any of them.

Jude took a seat next to Leia on the empty bed across from Alvin’s. 

“Have you really forgiven him?” asked Jude.

“Yup! He was a real jerk, but he’s been making it up to me.” Leia dropped her gaze. “What about you?”

“If you can, I can. Besides, I punched his face in.”

“While I was lying on the ground bleeding! You both are jerks!” She turned her nose up and whipped her head to the side, arms crossed.

“Hey! If you can forgive him, you can forgive me!”

She laughed and elbowed him. “Of course I forgive you.”

“Good. I’m…I’m really glad you pulled through.”

“I’m glad you did, too.”

“I wouldn’t have made it without you,” he admitted, rubbing his fingers up and down his arm. “It’s okay if you call me a jerk. I treated you horribly, and all you were trying to do was keep me from starving to death.”

“Oh, Jude, you…” She took a deep breath. “You’re welcome!”

He suspected she had meant to say something else—scold him a little more, perhaps—but he preferred to see her beaming proudly at him. She deserved to know her hard work had been appreciated. She had put up with a lot from him.

“So now that you two have figured that out, anyone gonna give me something for this pain?” asked Alvin.

Jude jumped up. “You’re awake!”

“I’ve been awake for a couple of minutes,” said Alvin, who attempted to sit up only to let out a cry of pain. 

“I’ll go get Mom!” said Jude.

He found Ellen in his father’s office, returning the pain medication to one of the cabinets. 

“Oh, Jude, I’ve got it ready,” she said, holding up a syringe filled with liquid. 

“He’s awake now.”

Ellen led the way back to the room, where Alvin held out his arm, teeth gritted, and waited for his injection.

A scream could be heard all through Leronde and possibly into the deepest parts of the Felgana Mine.

“Oh, sorry,” said Ellen sweetly, releasing the fluid into Alvin’s veins. 

Jude shuddered; he had never expected his mother to manhandle a patient, especially intentionally. Poor Alvin—Leia might’ve forgiven him, but there was a long line of people who hadn’t.

~*~

The pain medication lasted for about four hours each time Alvin was given a dose. It made him sleepy, and by the time he woke up, he ached all over again. He feared each injection, too, and always hoped Jude or Leia would be around to administer it to him instead. He never had any luck. It was always Ellen, who was never openly cruel to him, but the look in her eyes was heavy with disapproval even when she smiled at him.

There was another patient in the room. Some kid who worked at the docks had taken a tumble while carrying cargo, and his leg had been twisted. Alvin waited for Derrick to finish tending to him before he called out for an extra pillow.

“Hey, doc, I could use another pil—” 

Derrick left the room, closing the door behind him.

Alvin sighed. The clinic beds were not comfortable, and his only pillow was flat and unhelpful for the rest of his aches.

He lucked out a few minutes later when the door opened and Jude poked his head in.

“Jude! Hey, get me a pillow, would you?”

“You have a pillow.”

“I need an extra one.”

“This isn’t an inn, Alvin.”

“I need one for my back.”

“I’ll see what I can do…” Jude disappeared into the hallway. A minute later, he returned with a pillow in hand and Leia behind him. “Here!” He tossed it right at Alvin’s face.

“That’s not very nice,” said Alvin, groaning. “Help me out, Leia. The Mathis family is being mean to me. All I want is a pillow to help with my shoulders. Could you stick it under there for me?”

“I don’t work here anymore, remember?” said Leia, grinning.

“Haven’t I suffered enough?”

Leia lifted the pillow. “Sit up.”

“Thank you!” He gritted his teeth and lifted up his back as much as the pain would allow so Leia could tuck it under his shoulders. He eased onto it with a hiss. 

“You need more pain medication,” said Jude. “I’ll get Mom to give you another dose.”

“No, please, no,” begged Alvin, but Jude disappeared. “Leia, please help me escape from this place. I’ll do anything you want. Anything.”

He reached a hand out to her and clutched her sleeve.

She grinned, leaned over, and whispered in his ear.

His eyes widened, but before he could refuse the request, Ellen and Jude stepped into the room.

In four and a half seconds, Ellen was going to torment him with another syringe full of pain medication, and he was going to let her.


End file.
